Method and means foe



M. BUDNY Feb. 9, 1932.

METHOD AND MEANS FOR GARMENT MANUFACTURE AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 3, 1928 g Q21 ,mvbuwk a, Arrows/3:3

Patented Feb. 9, 1932 UNITED. STATES MAGIEJ' BUDNY, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO METHOD AND MEANS FOR GARMENT nenuracrunn AN THE Linn Application filed October 3, 1928. Serial No. 310,151.

This invention as indicated relates to i a method and means for garment manufacture and the like. More particularly it comprises a method of-laying up lays of cloth or similar material which is to be cut into suitable shapes for subsequent fabrication into garments, or the like, and separating predetermined quantities of said lays sothat after the cutting operation is completed, matched or companion sections of said lays may be read ily separated into lots suitable for fabricating on sewing machines, or the like, into gar: ments, or like articles. It also includes the means for use in effecting the method of garment manufacture referred to comprising a separating medium, preferably of thin-easily severable sheet material of such character as not to interfere with the usual practice in laying up the cloth or to bring about accidental or premature separation of the sections.

In the course of garment manufacture at the present time, particularly in the manufacture of mens suits and overcoats, and womens cloaks, great economy of production is brought about by cutting high lays whereby at a single operation a cutter can produce a larger number, such as fifty or seventy-five vertically arranged duplicates of each of the sections that go to make up a single garment. When such garment sections are cut out they are ready for the sewing machine operators, and a single cutter is ordinarily able to supply garment parts to a large numberof sewing machine operators. Obviously, this requires the separation of each of the sections, into which each of the original lays of cloth were cut, into parallel groups of parts, each of an equal number of units, so that when these groups are distributed to the sewing machine operators the necessary parts for each garment may be assembled from the severed portions of identical layers of cloth, thereby providing for matching of stripes and shades of color and avoiding loss through a patchwork effect or variegated shades of fabric which would result from the indiscriminate fabrication of garments from parts derived from unassorted layers. I

The practice in garment manufacture differs at the present time as to the vertical height of the lay and the number of layers of cloth cut at a single operation, as well as in the manner in which the parts are separated and distributed after cutting. In smaller garment factories the cutter notches the severed sections at certain points to facilitate the matching of the goods in the sewing operation and counts the parts for separation and distribution to the machine operators. In others an assistant to the cutter notches, counts, and separatesthe garment sections, a saving thereby being effected in the amount of high-priced cutter time to be charged against each garment.

The counting operation must be speedily and accurately done and this is in many cases difficult because of the attraction of the layers for each other caused by frictional electricity as well as because of the napand fibers of the cloth, interlocking through the pressure upon the lays and the intermingling of the marginal fibers at the time of cutting' Where a miscount accidentally takes place, a whole series of garments may-be rendered unsalable because of the failure to match the adjacent parts as to color and pattern.

The above explanation it is believed makes it perfectly clear that the present method of garment manufacture involves a loss of time in any event through the counting operations which must be carried through for each separated p'art of the lay and in-addition involves danger-of serious momentary loss if error in separation of companion garment parts 00- 35 ours.

It is the object of my invention to obviate this difficulty and to provide an improved method of garment manufacture which will promote both economy of time in fabrication and accuracy of assembly of the garment parts. t is a further object of my invention to provide means for separating and identi fying companion garment sections without numerous recounting. operations. Other and further objects of theinvention will appear inthe course of the following description. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means and mode hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail certain means and one mode of carrying out the invention, such disclosed means and mode illustrating, however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting table carrying a high lay laid up of many layers of cloth divided by spacingmembers into three horizontal sections preliminary to the cutting operation; Fig. 2 is a perspective View broken away in part, illustrating several cut out garment sections, each divided into two. horizontal sections; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing one form of separating member; and Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged sectional view illustrating diagrammatically the interlocking of the cloth fibers through the apertures in the separating member.

7 As is shown in Fig- 1 of the drawings, the cutting table 1 is provided with a lay of cloth 2 ready for the garment cutting operation. The cloth has patterns for some of the parts for a mans suit diagrammatically shown on the upper layer indicating the large number of parts. of various shapes and sizes to be handled and to be kept in: their original relation with companion pieces in the identical layer until they are finally again united in the completed garment. :It should be pointed out that the odd and even layers of the lay go to make up respectively the right or left hand sides of the garment and that the cloth is laid with the nap facing the adjacent layer and running in the same direction.

- The lay is shown as divided into three equal portions by separating members or sheets 3. The divisions may have any desired number of layers, and, as was stated above, the adj acent odd and even layers comprise pairs of identical material and pattern, and the nap sides of said adjacent layers are brought together, and with the nap running in the same direction. iVhere the lay is sixty layers high, each division may have twenty layers, and when the garment cutter has completed the cutting operation he may have the top twenty of each distinct garment piece delivered to one machine operator, and the second twenty to another, and the third twenty to still another.

In Fig. 2, sections 4, 5,, 6, for three garment parts out from a lay, subdivided by a separating member 7 into two divisions 8, 9, are shown. By merely lifting the layers above the separating members away from those below said members, an immediate and accurate separation of the cut out sections may be had for the machine operators without .a counting operation on each of the three parts 4, 5 and 6. When high lays are cut into garments having many small parts, the saving of time effected is much greater, and the full economy of cutting high lays, when my method is used, is not offset by a corresponding loss in the greater amount of time needed for making an accurate count.

A variety of separating members may be used but the type preferred should combine the qualities of low cost, of material and manufacture, and a proper degree of smoothness and flexibility to permit the same to be drawn in sheet form over the lay of cloth being laid up on the cutting table. It also should be adapted to remain'in adjusted position, preferably having sufficient thinness to be negligible as to vertical space occupied, or to be a. factor retarding the'cutting operation, and finally should provide for the cloth layersv and separating members retaining their original relative position at all times whether in the original lay or in the severed sections.

My preferred form of separating member is shown in detail in Fig. 8, and comprises a sheet 11 of thin paper, what may be designated a medium weight tissue, and this sheet is preferably provided with a plurality of parallel rows: of apertures 12, of any suitable size to permit the cloth'layers when placed on either side of the sheet .to inter-engage with their nap or surface fibers and thus be held intheoriginal laid position, both before and after thecutting operation. The manner in which the cloth layers inter-engage isdiagrammatically shown in Fig.1 4 in which the bottomlayer of cloth 13 is covered by a sheet of paper, having apertures 15, and intervening webs 16. Another layer of cloth 17 is placed above the separating sheet and the fibers of the two cloth layers inter-engage through said apertures, the margins of which are also engaged by said fibers.

Ashas been indicated, the separating medium shown and described. is merely illustrative as any distinctive material other than paper may be used, and the fixing in position of the adjacent cloth layers may be brought about by using a separating member of unperforated paper or other material that is porous or has a slightly roughened surface, such member preferably being of a type tough enough to be. easily adjusted in position without clinging to the lower layer and also not too rough to prevent the drawing of the overlying layer into proper position without disturbing the parts below.

My preferred form ofseparating member, however, comprises thin paper which in unperforated condition would slide freely over the cloth surfaces, but which with perforations. of suitable size permits engagement of the: member with the adjacent cloth fibers and which because of its thinness permits suflicient contact of the two adjacent cloth surfaces to have the fibers of said surfaces inter-engage.

Briefly summarized, my method may be stated to comprise forming a lay by laying up layers of cloth successively to a predetermined number of layers, laying a separating member of substantially equal area to said cloth layers over said cloth layers, laying further layers of cloth over said separating member to a. predetermined number, cutting said lay into garment parts of suitable size and shape, and separating the layers of the cut out sections in groups positioned respectively on opposite sides of the separating members. More than one separating member may be used according to the character of the work in hand. An important step in the method is the placing between the layers of cloth to be cut, a separating medium which may be placed in position like the layers of cloth themselves, and which may not be readily displaced from position relative to the cloth above or below the same.

Water soluble paper, or like material, might be used to facilitate its removal from the cloth scraps, if desired, but the large apertures and narrow webs of the separating sheets makes negligible the foreign matter in the cloth scrap and the reworking operations would ordinarily dispose of this without special provision therefor.

The paper or other material could be drawn from the roll over the lay of cloth or the roll itself could be unrolled over the lay, as found most suitable to the working conditions.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the means and the steps herein disclosed, provided those stated by any of the following claims or their equivalent be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and dis tinctly claim as my invention:

1. A method of garment manufacture which includes the steps of laying up a series of layers of cloth, laying a separating member of distinctive readily severable sheet material thereover, said sheet material having fiber receiving apertures, laying up a further series of layers of cloth and engaging the adjacent fibers of said layer with the fibers of the first layer through said apertures, cutting the material so laid up into garment parts, and separating said parts at the plane of said separating member for fabricating into garments.

2. A lay of cloth comprising a series of multi-layered sections of cloth of identical material and pattern in adjacent layers, and a single separating layer of distinctive readily severable sheet material having means for engaging and interlocking with the cloth fibers interposed between adjacent multilayered sections to provide for the separation of identical layers of garment parts and the exact matching of pattern lines thereof when said lay is severed into units each made up of part of said series of multi-layered sections and separating layers.

3. A lay of cloth comprising a series of multi-layered sections of cloth of identical material and pattern in adjacent layers, and a single separating layer of distinctive readily severable sheet material having large fiber receiving apertures and narrow connecting webs therebetween, interposed between adj acent multi-layered sections to provide for the separation of identical layers of garment parts and the exact matching of. pattern lines thereof when said lay is severed into units each made up of part of said series of multilayered sections and separating layers.

Signed by me this 28th day of September,

MACIEJ BUDNY. 

